While plenty of exciting-looking games have been announced over the past few months, there’s no doubt that developer Rebel Wolves' new IP,The Blood of Dawnwalker, raised more than a few eyebrows with its announcement trailer. It showcased a gothic, broodingworld filled with vampires, a protagonist who is part human and part vampire, and an intriguing narrative. Little else is known about the project yet, but it’s enough to leave gamers eager for more.
Game Rant recently caught up withThe Blood of Dawnwalker’s narrative director Jakub Szamalek to discuss some of the game’s mechanics. He explained the game’s choice of setting and how the characters fit into it, and he also spoke about how the team aims to find a balance between its core narrative and open-world design elements.
The Blood of Dawnwalker’s Characters Are Integral to its Story
The Blood of Dawnwalkertells the story of Coen, a human-vampire hybrid known as a Dawnwalker, who must either fight for his humanity or embrace his demon side. The game’s world, Vale Sangora, is set in 14th-century Europe, which is rife with conflict, presenting an opportunity for vampires to rise and attempt to seize power for themselves. Coen must race against the clock to save his family by any means necessary. Speaking about Coen, Szamalek continued:
‘‘What’s special about our protagonist, Coen, is that he walks the line between the day and night. As the sun goes out, he experiences the world as a vampire - physically powerful, imbued with supernatural skills, but also susceptible to dark temptations. But then, with dawn, he reverses to his human form. As such, he can understand both humans and creatures of the night.’’
The Blood of Dawnwalker Will Combine Story-Driven Gameplay With an Open World Concept
The concept of a story-driven open-world RPG is something of a juxtaposition. By their very nature, narrative-driven games tend to be fairly linear experiences, allowing them to tell a cohesive story from start to finish.Open-world games can struggle to tell an engaging storyas the player is usually free to tackle events with a less structured approach. Balancing these two concepts will be no easy task, but Szamalek is confident Rebel Wolves can achieve this. He said:
‘‘We’re buildingThe Blood of Dawnwalkerupon the foundation we established while working on the previous projects we were involved with as developers and artists, drawing inspirations from classic titles such asFallout 2, which gave truly unparalleled narrative freedom, but at the same time trying to enrich the RPG experience with something we’re bringing to the table. We want to combine narrative freedom and a story-driven experience with an open world filled with meaningful quests and memorable characters, emotionally charged interactions with characters, and a strong gameplay experience.’’
As is always the case with the RPG genre, competition for players' attention is fierce. Upcoming titles likeThe Witcher 4and theas-yet-unnamed Cyberpunk 2077 sequelare already garnering plenty of interest. Still, with no release window to speak of, it’s impossible to know which, if any, of these will be in direct competition withThe Blood of Dawnwalkerwhen it is eventually released.
